Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In a world where destiny weaves its intricate tapestry across the thread of every soul, there exists a rare and extraordinary connection between individuals known as soulmates.

It is said that these connections transcend time and space, binding two souls together in a cosmic dance of fate and fortune.

No one knows how soulmates are determined, or how soulbonds are formed, but one fact is irrefutable —a person whose name was etched into your wrist was your soulmate.

How wonderful, wasn’t it, to be able to know who would be your lifelong companion, your beloved partner in crime!

However, an enigmatic twist of fate leaves hearts in a constant state of certainty — a name wasn’t merely written on one wrist, but both.

It is said that one name signified one’s soulmate, while the other, their worst enemy.
The mystery lies in which name belonged to the soulmate and which, the foe.

The 12th birthday of a child was a celebrated and joyous occasion. It signaled that they were on the cusp of teenhood. More importantly, that special day held unparalleled significance in the lives of every child: it was the day their soulmarks would appear.

As Kim Dokja lay in bed, counting down the minutes until the clock struck midnight, a swirling mix of anticipation and anxiety swirled within him. The mark would manifest at that exact moment, revealing the unique pattern that would forever link him to his destined partner.

The hours passed and the minutes turned into an eternal night, however, while other children rejoiced at being bestowed the honor of fate’s promise of love, Kim Dokja stared numbly at his wrists.

In a world where everyone had a destined soulmate, Kim Dokja was once again an outcast. A glitch in the fabric of the universe. A statistical anomaly.

Kim Dokja had no soulmarks.

—-------------

“At this rate, you’ll get sucked into your smartphone”

Kim Dokja was stirred from his sanctuary by a voice he recognized, causing him to instinctively lift his head. It was Yoo Sangah, a fellow employee working at the human resources team.

He exchanged pleasantries with her, learning that she was currently learning Spanish. This came as no shock, given her diligent nature and her ongoing commitment to self-improvement as proven by her recent promotion to full-time employee.

It was hardly unexpected that someone of her caliber was graced with soulmarks. Due to its secretive nature, only the person whose name was written and the person who bore them could see one’s soulmarks. To outsiders, the mark appeared as a random meaningless syllable. However he recalled her previously mentioning one of her marks was the name Han Sooyoung.

Kim Dokja glanced at his own barren hands, wondering how it must have felt to know that at the end of the day, your person was waiting to meet you, wondering if it would have even made a difference at the end.

He had become accustomed to the murmurs of "freak" and "sinner” which progressed into outright discrimination as he stepped into the working world.

Those who did not have soulmarks were deemed by society to be abominations for a collective belief persisted, suggesting they must have committed grievous sins to be forsaken by destiny's supposed benevolence.

Fortunately, Kim Dokja had reached a point where he no longer minded it; he had found solace in web novels, offering an escape from the injustices and harshness of the tangible world. His one and only hobby became reading web novels on the subway while traveling to work. His favourite was ‘The Way to Survive the Apocalypse’, a novel that had been ongoing for 13 years and coincidentally just ended.

Speaking of which, a new notification suddenly appeared at the top of his smartphone.

[You have one new mail] It was an email from the author of ‘Ways of Survival’.

The body of the email simply read:
-Reader-nim, my novel will become paid from 7pm. This will be helpful. Good luck. [1 Attachment]

Kim Dokja checked the time, it was 6:55pm. He had exactly five minutes before the novel became monetised.

Deciding to leave a congratulatory message to the author and thank them for their gift, Kim Dokja opened the list of preferred novels in the app.

-The work doesn’t exist.

He tried typing it into the search bar again but to no avail. Even the bulletin board for TWSA was gone.

How strange. Has there ever been a case of a novel being deleted without notification, especially when it was being monetised?

Suddenly, a searing pain shot up his arms. It was an indescribable sensation, his arms had been simultaneously doused in liquid nitrogen and hellfire. He clutched his wrists trying to alleviate the pain.

The agony lasted for what felt like an eternity.

What on earth was that?

Just then, the world plunged into darkness.

Chapter Text

‘Kiiiiiik-!’ The subway train shook violently and screeched to an abrupt stop. Confused murmurs descended into hysterics as people were thrown to the ground, causing Yoo Sangah to scream and grab his arm for balance.

Again, the pain lanced up his arm as Yoo Sangha gripped his arm so tightly that he paid more attention to the pain in his arm than the sudden stopping of the train.

Kim Dokja frantically prised her grip open and fumbled with his shirt sleeve, frantically pulling it down to reveal a—what?

Nestled on the center of his wrist, on a previously blank canvas of skin, laid a name written in elegant cursive —Yoo Joonghyuk.

What.

He stared at the name. He blinked. He rubbed his eyes and blinked again. Unless the misery of his life had finally driven him into a state of hallucination, he had a soulmark. A soulmark that hadn’t been there moments ago. Most importantly, why was the name Yoo Joonghyuk?

It must have been a coincidence that one of his names belonged to the protagonist of TWSA.

Just when he thought he had seen enough, he exposed his other wrist, only to see his own name, scrawled in familiar handwriting staring back at him.

He rubbed it vigorously. It didn’t smudge or fade. It was a genuine soulmark.

Well this certainly complicated everything.

Before he could dwell in his thoughts, Yoo Sangah asked, “W-What’s going on?”

Kim Dokja pretended to be unconcerned. “Don’t worry. It isn’t a big deal.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, probably a disturbance from a suicide. They should be making an announcement soon.”

Just as he finished speaking, the announcement emanated from the speakers. -telling all passengers on the train, telling all passengers on the train.

“See, it probably wasn’t a big deal. Now an apology will air, and the power will turn back on…” his voice trailed off as the remaining announcement made his blood run cold.

-E-Everyone run away…Run…!

“What?”

There was a shrill beep, and the broadcast shut off.

The universe seemed to hold its breath, a fleeting moment of hushed trepidation. It inhaled, drawing out all sound with it, before releasing a cacophonous exhale, unleashing the pandemonium that followed.

“D-Dokja-ssi? What is this…?"

A brilliant burst of light flashed from the front of the subway train. There was a loud drumming sound followed by a pop. Something approached in the darkness. It was just a coincidence that he glanced at the clock—7:00 pm.

Tick, it seemed as though the world had frozen at that moment. Then he heard a voice:

[The free service of planetary system 8612 has been terminated.]

[The main scenario has started.]

This was the moment the genre of Kim Dokja’s life changed.